[Assessment of fetal lung maturity by fluorescence polarization method: comparison with lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio, shake test and turbidometry (author's transl)].

Ninety seven amniotic fluid samples from 89 pregnant women ranging from 9 to 41 weeks of gestation were analyzed for fetal lung maturity by the fluorescence polarization (FP) method and the values were compared with three other methods; lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio, shake test and optical density at 650 nm. Of 89 cases 14 were complicated pregnancies. Three respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) was predicted by FP method. FLuorescence polarization (FP) values of amniotic fluid samples declined abruptly from about 34 weeks of gestation in normal pregnancy. The data suggest that the lung maturity threshold of FP value is 0.333. The false negative and false positive results for the FP value were 1.4% and 0%, respectively. There was a significant correlation between FP value and L/S ration (r = 0.766). Among the four methods tested the FP method is more advantageous than the others in reliability, accuracy, reproducibility, operational simplicity and rapidity.